MLB wagering interest swings to the St. Louis vs Houston battle on Thursday at Busch Stadium as the Cardinals try to defend home turf and reward moneyline bettors.

Houston puts its faith in starter JA Happ to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 3-4. Getting the ball for the Cardinals is Kyle McClellan, who owns a 4-1 record on the season with a 3.71 ERA.



View Houston vs St Louis Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Cardinals as -200 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 8.

Power Rankings:
The Cardinals - Astros odds would favor the Cardinals if the lines were set according to our power ranks. St. Louis is rated No. 3 in the current National League Odds Shark poll, while Houston is at No. 15 in the National League.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and St. Louis has the National League's No. 2-rated offensive output, at 9.8 hits per game. The Astros average 8.9 hits per game, good for No. 4 on the National League list.

Comparing defensive stats, Houston owns the National League's No. 16-rated road mark, allowing 5.8 runs per game on the highway. St. Louis, on the other hand, rates No. 11 in scoring at home.

The Astros were a 5-1 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Cardinals. That made winners of bettors who got St. Louis at -170 on the moneyline, while the total score (6) was good news for UNDER bettors. Houston didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 5-1 to St. Louis on Wednesday at Busch Stadium.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Toronto are 3-0
After playing St. Louis are 4-6
After a loss are 3-7

St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 9-1
Before playing Kansas City are 7-3
After playing Houston are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

A few Astros at Cardinals trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games on the road
Houston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of Houston's last 25 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis' last 5 games at home
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of St. Louis' last 25 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis' last 7 games when playing at home against Houston


Next up:
Houston at Toronto, Friday, May 20
St. Louis at Kansas City, Friday, May 20